Mahindra-Ford to finalise some JV agreements by next month - Report

Mahindra and Ford had signed five non-binding MOUs in March this year. The Indo-American duo hopes to come to a final decision on some of these agreements in October.

The Ford Kuga-like C-SUV will compete with the Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tucson. It is reportedly going to ride on the same chassis as the next-gen Mahindra XUV500.

In an interview with The Economic Times recently, Dr Pawan Goenka, MD, Mahindra & Mahindra talked about the progress on its jointly developed products with Ford. He reiterated that the company had announced “five things, mid-size SUV, EV on Ford platform, Mahindra engines on Ford platform, mobility and connectivity.”

“We are progressing on all five, none of this yet is signed as a definitive agreement. We are close on a couple of them and hopefully, we will have the decision next month.”

Below is a clear list of what the five non-binding MOUs cover:

Connected vehicle projects

Battery Electric Vehicle

Product development of C-SUV

Product development of B-SUV

Powertrains

Announcing the next step in their collaboration in March, Mahindra and Ford had said that they “will leverage their strengths in the utility vehicle space to co-develop a midsize sports utility vehicle (C-SUV).” They also “agreed to evaluate co-development of a compact SUV and electric vehicle and electric vehicle.”

Reports say that Ford will launch the export-spec (longer) Aspire's battery-powered variant as its first EV in India.

The co-developed B-SUV for Ford could emerge as the next-gen Ford EcoSport. The Blue Oval’s C-SUV, based of the chassis of the next-gen Mahindra XUV500, could arrive as the model cheaper than the Ford Kuga, competing directly with the Jeep Compass and the next-gen Hyundai Tucson.

About its first electric car in India, reports say that it will launch a battery-powered variant of the export-spec Ford Aspire. GST levied on EVs doesn’t vary based on the dimensions, and so, it will use the longer model (only exported from India currently as the Ka+ sedan) to offer more value for money and distinguish the EV.